Gunther wrote in message et...
In article , crw59
@earthlink.net says...
If I want to change the color of my gravel, will I alter the water
chemistry? Are there a lot of good things (water wise)
going on under the gravel?

Just wondering if I will face a bloom of some kind if I take it out all
at once. And if I'm gonna change color, I don't really have a choice.

?? Why no choice??
It's best not to remove it all at once, since it does provide
a significant amount of bacterial habitat. But depending on
the size of your tank, you can take out about 1/4 to 1/3 at a time
and replace it with new clean gravel; do this with each PWC and
in a month or so it'll be done. You can worry about the strays
at the end.

that's what I meant by no choice. was just trying to avoid picking out the stray
pieces. but water quality is more important....

thx